If Everyone Has Privilege, No One Does

A truism of leadership is if you want people to work together, you focus on what they have in common rather than on their differences.  It's the whole teamwork thing.

This is not the way to go about things:

Arizona State University has published on its official website a "checklist" to address "Black Male Privilege."

ASU's “Project Humanities” initiative "facilitates critical conversations among diverse communities through talking, listening, and connecting" by exploring "shared ideas and experiences." The initiative lists several "initiatives," including one called "Privilege and Bias"...

The initiative lists several "checklists" for various races, sexual orientations, genders, and socioeconomic statuses. 

Examples of “Black Male Privilege” include the following...

If everyone has some form of privilege, what's the point of talking about it?  (Not that it isn't a silly concept in the first place....)

The Project Humanities page provides the following definitions of privilege. 

“Privilege is not: About you. Privilege is not your fault. Privilege is not anything you've done, or thought, or said. It may have allowed you to do, or think, or say things, but it's not those things, and it's not because of those things. Privilege is not about taking advantage, or cheating, although privilege may make this easier. Privilege is not negated. I can't balance my white privilege against my female disadvantage and come out neutral. Privilege is not something you can be exempt from by having had a difficult life. Privilege is not inherently bad. Privilege is: About how society accommodates you. It's about advantages you have that you think are normal. It's about you being normal, and others being the deviation from normal.”

Although the website says that “privilege is not inherently bad,” the same page goes on to state, “How privilege is bad for the privileged: Privilege makes you blind. Privilege is a big bag of stuff you're not forced to think about.”

“Almost everyone who is reading this had some form of privilege,” the website states. “If you’re a member of three marginalized groups, in ill health, and poor, you're still able to access and use the internet, both demonstrating and conferring privilege.”

Again, if everyone has privilege, then no one does.  Let's move on.